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WARRIOR – Season 3: Episode 1 Review – A Hard Hitting Return

On December 4th, 2020, it was the last time we saw Warrior grace our TV screens and we wanted more. Though Cinemax ceased all its original programming and the show was left in limbo. In January 2021, HBO Max picked up both seasons and streamed it for a new audience, even campaigning their support of the representation the series presents. In April 2021, Shannon Lee, the cast and crew announced they are back. With excitement and a victorious smile from the cast, crew and fans around the world, “Warrior” is coming back for season 3. In July 2022 to October 2022, filming started and completed with cast of old and new uniting to bring us what we have been waiting for. Let’s see if I can do this again. “Exactly the wrong time to get proud, now is the time to adapt or die.” – Wang Chao It’s been a […]

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Streaming Sleepers: In Tiffany Toney’s BORA, Sex, Drugs And Murder Unravel Chilling Duality

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been a while since I’ve mentioned a word on Bora, the latest independent thriller debut from actress, producer and filmmaker Tiffany Toney. The movie was shot several years ago and has since run the post-production gamut followed by screenings and a subsequent release on Amazon Prime Video as well as FAST platform, Tubi. The concept here isn’t too dissimilar from other films you may have seen. Invariably, it’s a rich take on a popular angle venturing into the psychological, with a sexy, chilling twist that serves the film’s rewarding narrative. Enter Ajima Cole who inaugurates our story in the role of Elon, a young woman whose idyllic life with boyfriend Shawn (Gichi Gamba) is about to take a life-shattering tumble ahead after a chance (we’ll say) bumping-into with a wandering junkie named Bora (Toney). Well into the first half of Bora, the viewer is introduced to a bevy of […]

WARRIOR Tests The Limits Of Peace In The Trailer For Season Three!

Lee B. Golden III

Back in March I attempted a lookback series of articles revisiting the hit Tong series drama, Warrior. The theme was Unsettled Scores, and while I never got around to finishing this mini column, the official series trailer is now here and clearly our mains have some axes to grind since season two. In the wake of the race riots that upended Chinatown in season two, Mai Ling uses her government connections to consolidate power, while Ah Sahm and the Hop Wei must find new ways to survive. June 29 can’t come fast enough. Boy oh boy!

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BLOODHOUNDS: Kim Joo-Hwan’s New Netflix Action Series Gets A Trailer That Doles Out All The Smoke!

Lee B. Golden III

Just when I thought my news day was done, here comes Midnight Runners and The Divine Fury helmer Kim Joo-hwan bringing my day to a high-note ending with one knock down after throwdown banger exhibited in the official series trailer for upcoming series, Bloodhounds. Bloodhounds is a story about two young people who step into the world of loan sharks in pursuit of money and get caught up in a web of much darker forces. After his perfect performance in a dual role in The King: Eternal Monarch, Woo Do-hwan returns as Geon-woo, who jumps into the world of loan sharks to pay off his debt. Having intrigued viewers with his multi-faceted charm in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, Lee Sang-yi plays Woo-jin, who first meets Geon-woo as his opponent in boxing but ends up working with him. Meanwhile, actor Park Sung-woong plays vicious loan shark Myung-gil, who is driven solely by money […]

Hit Series KUNG FU Ends At The CW

Lee B. Golden III

Christina M. Kim’s CW network upgrade of classic TV series Kung Fu wasn’t exactly targeted to viewers like me, per se. Nonetheless, it was only recently that I binged all three seasons with my mother on HBO Max and found myself enjoying it more than I expected, and even reveling for a little bit in the hopes of a continuation. Alas, when the news broke on Thursday of the show’s cancellation as part of a cost-cutting measure for shows to be filmed in the UK and Canada – per the network’s new business model, I was disappointed to say the least. Feel free to comment in reaction to my post about the series on Instagram, but I’ll just go ahead and say that this was one of the finest shows I’ve ever watched – credited for steering the movement for better AAPI representation in entertainment, and frankly speaking, actor Tzi […]

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AMERICAN BORN CHINESE Brings the Gods of Chinese Mythology to Disney+

Mike Garcia

This May 24th, Disney+ premieres this action comedy Based on 2006 Graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang, in an upcoming TV series, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Charles Yu and Kevin Yu, that comprises 8 episodes on its first season, that brings the Gods of Chinese Mythology to an international audience, reuniting part of the cast of the recent multi-acclaimed winner of the Oscars, “Everything, Everywhere at all once”, with Michelle Yeoh portraying Guanyin, the Goddess of mercy or Daniel Wu as Sun Wukong, The Monkey King, including Ke huy Quan, Ben Wang, Yeo Yann Yann, Chin Han, Jim Lui, Sydney Taylor, or Stephanie Hsu as recurring character among many others. The story revolves around Jin wang, a young student who meets a new Taiwanese exchange student at school, that brings chaos to his life, involving him in a battle between Gods of […]

Streaming Sleepers: Lee Jung-Jae’s HUNT Delivers A Pulsating Spy Thriller Debut

Lee B. Golden III

One of the most exciting political thrillers of the past year is currently available on Hulu as of this write-up with actor Lee Jung-jae’s feature directorial debut, Hunt. The film joins the Squid Game star with actor Jung Woo-sung for the first time since Kim Sung-su’s City Of The Rising Sun, and centers on the heads of two agents thrust into espionage and danger when the existence of a mole in their operations threatens to upend the South Korean government. I love that this film is more than one thing which rights highlights Lee in his brilliant debut at the helm. The film will almost certainly keep you guessing from start to finish while daring you to keep going even as the emotional gut punches are dealt without fail, and with performances that are nothing short of solid. Our own Harris Dang had plenty to say in his review of […]

Streaming Sleepers: Sammo Hung’s HEART OF DRAGON Delivers Endearing Drama With Hearty Classic Action

Lee B. Golden III

The mid-80s delivered peak Hong Kong action. It marked an era of post-Bruce Lee film fandom that helped pave the way for stars to rise and become some of the biggest influences and staples of their industry. This inevitably included Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, whose careers would explode from the 70s and onward with the two joining up once more for 1985 action drama, Heart Of Dragon. The story kicks off with an explosive action sequence that later reveals Chan’s role as Ted, a freshly-minted police detective. His job is one thing though, while it’s another to maintain not only his teetering relationship with his girlfriend Jenny and chasing his real dream as a sailor, but also the care and oversight of his brother, Danny, who has the mental capacity of a child and is often taken advantage of by his younger peers, and abused by adults as a […]

FIST OF THE CONDOR, YOUNG IP MAN And Donnie Yen’s FIST OF FURY Coming To Hi-YAH! In April

Lee B. Golden III

This week is as good a time as any to remind fans to subscribe to Well Go USA’s genre imprint, Hi-YAH!. The streamer will launch Ernesto Diaz Espinoza’s Fist Of The Condor this Friday starring Marko Zaror and Eyal Meyer who have been touring the east coast this week while promoting the film’s Alamo Drafthouse screening events in North America. The streamer will also release Ip Man: Kung Fu Master helmer Li Liming’s Young Ip Man, as well as premiere weekly episodes of ATV Home and STAR Channel’s 1995 televised 30×45 series iteration of “Fist Of Fury” starring Donnie Yen. Watch the company’s new monthly promo below and then head to Hi-YAH! today.

HIGH & LOW: THE WORST X Review: Fisticuffs And Hard-Fought Friendship Lead The Way For Another Supercharged Sequel

Lee B. Golden III

The last eight years or so of thrills from the hive mind at Japanese brand LDH and the writers of HI-AX have brought forth what stands to be one of the best multimedia action franchises ever created, with Shochiku and Netflix raking in much of the earnings. Credit as of late goes to the shared directorial powers of Daisuke Ninomiya and Norihisa Hiranuma, and action stylist Masaki Suzumura with a window of at least three years since Shigeaki Kubo transitioned the High & Low saga into a new era, one led by “The Rampage” members Kazuma Kawamura and Hokuto Yoshino, along with actor and franchise favorite Goki Maeda who now return for their continuation, High & Low: The Worst X. The story reimmerses you once more into long-established pentaterritorial S.W.O.R.D. whose Oya High confab still flexes its best under the otherwise still nascent leadership of the precocious and rambunctious Fujio […]

Streaming Sleepers: Wes Chatham Delivers A Knockout In THE PHILLY KID

Lee B. Golden III

Director Jason Connery’s fourth feature came to me as a recommendation years ago from a friend who works in the Thai film industry, and happened to be a fan of Wes Chatham upon seeing 2012 indie action drama, The Philly Kid. I honestly don’t know how the marketing for this particular film was so I can’t really allege anything, but the film was pushed and release in the U.S. at the time from After Dark Action, an imprint of After Dark Films, and I eventually saw it in 2014 on Digital Download. Fast forward nearly a decade later, and the film is currently streaming on Prime, which I thought would make for an ample opportunity to help get some eyes on this particular gem which sees Chatham in the role of Dillon, an ex-champ wrestler now out on parole after a ten-year stint in prison over the accidental death of […]

Streaming Sleepers: CLASH, Vietnamese Martial Arts Action Not To Be Forgotten

Lee B. Golden III

With Charlie Nguyen’s The Rebel lending a face and renewed movement in Vietnam action cinema following the successes of Tony Jaa, Jet Li, and Jackie Chan in the decade prior, martial arts fans found themselves a new hero or two with Johnny Tri Nguyen and Veronica Ngo. The two burgeoning stars would reunite several years later for Le Thanh Son’s crime thriller, Clash (or Bẫy rồng), starring the two in a story of a mercenary who gathers a ragtag team to perform a series of dangerous tasks in order to reunite with the daughter she’s been restrained from by her boss, played by Hoang Phuc Nguyen. The story and acting both fare amply well for a presentable feature in Clash but the action is of utmost importance. JTN’s choreography is evenly paced and compliments the strengths of all involved, including actor Lam Minh Thang who plays the menacing Cang who […]

Streaming Sleepers: LONE WOLF AND CUB, A Six-Film Journey Into Hell

Lee B. Golden III

The Criterion Collection, or pretty much any video essay search on YouTube or written review can tell you all you need to know about the sextet of Lone Wolf And Cub titles in its library. Or, rather though, the best experience in this case is a lived one, given it’s still one of the most celebrated classic chambara franchises ever made, and never without ceremony as it still garners curated screenings for occasional public film events, as well as praise for its influence toward other creators and auteurs over the years. I spent the past week engaging in the blood-soaked revenge saga featuring Tomisaburo Wakayama and Akihiro Tomikawa in the titular roles based on Kazuo Koike’s hit manga. I’m not familiar with the television shows that followed and I’ll probably follow up on my socials if I ever come across them over time, but the initial adaptations from helmers Kenji […]

Shunsaku Kawake’s BAIAN: THE ASSASSIN, M.D. To Be Launchpad For New Global SVOD Service, SAMURAI VS NINJA In April!

Lee B. Golden III

Shunsaku Kawake’s Baian: The Assassin, M.D. has been acquired by and will release exclusively on Samurai VS Ninja, a brand new SVOD platform launching on April 1 that aims to be home to hundreds of films and shows centered around samurai and ninja stories. The platform is the latest creation by Japanese entertainment hub REMOW Co., Ltd., in association with Nihon Eiga Broadcasting Corporation. Baian: The Assassin, M.D. released back in February featuring actor Etsushi Toyokawa (20th Century Boys trilogy, Punk Samurai Slash Down, Kingdom 2) in the title role, based on the literary work of late author Shotaro Ikenami whose classic novel inspired multiple iterations of the character for the screen. Written by Sumio Omori, the film centers on the exploits of a renowned acupuncturist who, in secret, employs his particular set of skills to dispense his own brand of justice as a feared assassin. The film was released […]

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Streaming Sleepers: Stream ALIENOID: PART ONE Ahead Of The Upcoming Sequel!

Lee B. Golden III

With the fair certainty of the second part set to arrive sometime this year, it’s worth making note that director Choi Dong-hoon’s fantasy time-travel sci-fi adventure, Alienoid: Part 1, is now streaming on Prime Video in the U.S. The film stars Kim Tae-ri, Ryu Jun-yeol, Kim Woo-bin, and Choi Yoo-ri in the story that spans two time periods in which robot bounty hunters caring for a Joseon orphan in present-day Korea, and a fledgling Joseon-era Taoist wizard eyeing a mysterious gun-toting woman in search of a “divine blade,” meet head-on as an alien invasion looms. You’re welcome to check out my review here for a few more unspoilery details on the story and my analysis. It didn’t do well at the local box office but did pretty well for itself on the streaming charts, so there’s hope yet that Alienoid: Part 2 will become a reality, and I look forward […]

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Streaming Sleepers: Don’t Forget To Pick Up Park Dae-Min’s SPECIAL DELIVERY!

Lee B. Golden III

One of last year’s critical favorites is currently streaming on Rakuten Viki with Special Delivery, the third feature film from writer/director Park Dae-min. The film stars Park So-dam in a titular role that almost harkens back to the Transporter fandom of yesteryear: similar premise but completely different setting, and with a story that was as entertaining as I hoped it would be. Some deliveries are too hot for the post office to deal with. And that, thinks Mr. Baek (Kim Eui Sung), is where his unofficial “company” comes in. Although to the rest of the world, it seems that he runs a junkyard, this is actually an elaborate front: His engineers soup up ordinary-looking cars to make them run at breakneck speeds and disguise their real identity so nobody can trace the vehicles. Mr. Baek’s star driver is Jung Eun Ha (Park So Dam), who has a 100% record of […]

Streaming Sleepers: Knuckle Up With Sammo Hung’s KNOCKABOUT

Lee B. Golden III

Kung fu cinema may be far and away from its heyday glory, but its enduring fandom remains adherent to its ties to the genre with unrelenting fervor through rigorous preservation and re-releases of these considerable classics in various selections. To date, you can look toward companies like Arrow Films’ genre specialty imprint, Arrow Video, with the recent launch of its streaming platform currently beholden to numerous titles in cult cinema, including and especially martial arts classics like Sammo Hung‘s 1979 hit, Knockabout. Hung joins the cast in a major co-starring role, with cinema legends Yuen Biao and Bryan Leung starring as two brothers – sibling conmen whose daily shenanigans for quick cash and a meal find themselves hustling hard to earn the favor of a silver-haired traveler who reluctantly takes them in, equipping them with his kung fu teachings as useful subordinates. The man’s fugitive past surfaces along with the […]

WARRIOR: Perry Yung Teases Summer HBO Max Premiere For Hit Tong Wars Action Drama

Lee B. Golden III

Long since its birth under Cinemax before transitioning as an HBO Max exclusive property in the U.S., hit Tong wars drama, Warrior, is finally slated to return for a June 29 season three premiere. The news came on Thursday by way of an Instagram post in which actor Perry Yung is seen recording key music via flute for the upcoming third season. Created by Jonathan Tropper (Banshee) and shepherded in part along with executive producers Shannon Lee and Justin Lin, Warrior is based on the writings of late martial arts cinema screen legend Bruce Lee. Firstly premiering in 2019, Yung joins a cast led by Andrew Koji who plays a Chinese national who brings his lethal fighting skills to 1870s San Francisco in search of his sister, played by Dianne Doan, only to be roped into a long and bitter war between the Tongs, as well as toxic and racist […]

Bill Hader as Barry in a first look at HBO series, "Barry" airing season four on HBO Beginning April 16

BARRY: Catch The Teaser For The Fourth And Final Season Of The Dark Hitman Comedy Series On HBO

Lee B. Golden III

The hit HBO series Barry is set to return for its fourth and final season on April 16, and we now have an official poster and teaser to signal the hype. The show will see Bill Hader back in the saddle once more along with a cast that joins Hader with Henry Winkler, Stephen Root, Sarah Goldberg, and Anthony Carrigan. Hader co-created the series and serves as exec producer alongside Alec Berg. I got to catch up on the series sometime last year and it’s one the most fun times I’ve had on the couch, with plenty of whipsmart dialogue and characters that resonate on screen really well, along with some exciting character moments and action with Hader in a version nary seen of him on screen. In sum, Hader stars in the title role of a depressed post-military serviceman working as a hitman who stumbles upon a means of […]

Michelle Yeoh Kicks Ass - Criterion Channel

Streaming Sleepers: Everything, Michelle Yeoh, All On Criterion

Lee B. Golden III

Hats off to Fred Topel’s Showbiz Cheat Sheet article for listing all the current films available now streaming on The Criterion Channel featuring leading lady of action, Michelle Yeoh. The ceremony has not waned since the release of Everything Everywhere All At Once, the Daniels-directed bouquet of kung fu, sci-fi, fantasy, and family comedy and drama attributed to a ubiquitous cinematic vision and incumbent messaging of love and acceptance, and generational healing, also being hailed as a banner moment for AAPI inclusion in entertainment. Indeed, while Yeoh’s nascency in film and television may not have been rooted in martial arts like most of her prominent colleagues in the Hong Kong industry, the Malaysia-born, decorated and now SAG award-winning screen star has more than earned her stripes with an amply and largely memorable resume of hits that have shaped her career thus and so. If you have Criterion, you’re welcome to […]